


A Grip That Will Hold

by magic_majd



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magic_majd/pseuds/magic_majd
Summary: He lasts full five years before he decides, as a newly appointed general to the Land of Iron, to seek Hanzo out.Basically a "what if" scenario giving these two a chance to meet again much earlier. Set long before the Naruto canon.
Relationships: Hanzou & Mifune (Naruto), Hanzou (Naruto)/Mifune (Naruto)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	A Grip That Will Hold

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I guess non-existent pairings are my thing now.
> 
> I've always loved how interesting Mifune and Hanzo are as characters, and how curiously deep a bond they managed to build over those two isolated encounters, despite being so different from each other.  
> I also think that Hanzo's fate is just heartbreaking, and that by having someone like Mifune around, he might have become an entirely different person.

He thinks about the Salamander every time he sharpens his sword, during and after, and if he’s honest with himself, before, too. He thinks about him when he ties his hair into a knot or a ponytail, when he drags a bandage across his forehead and around his head. Thinking about the man becomes a habit, and as the wound on his head turns into a scar and the pain of the encounter fades, it becomes a ritual. Pleasant, chilling. In the mornings, he sits on his futon and slides his fingers through the hair on the top of his head, finds the scar and touches it with something close to reverence, breath catching in his breast with feeling, life rising in him like a wave. He lasts full five years before he decides, as a newly appointed general to the Land of Iron, to seek Hanzo out.

-

They nearly start a war between their countries when they meet for the second time. Hanzo has changed, eyes stormy like the sky of his village and words sharp like the lightning flashing through it, but there are new circles under both of their eyes. Mifune understands.

-

“Has the wound not healed properly?”

They are alone for the first time in five years, in the dark quiet of Hanzo’s private rooms, and Mifune burns his lips on the tea he's trying to sip. “Oh,” he brings a hand up to his bandaged head, feeling caught out. “You mean this? It’s... No, the wound has healed well. This is merely a… reminder.”

Hanzo’s gaze is intense, but the corners of his eyes crinkle. His hands, ungloved, clench and unclench where they're resting on his knees. “May I see?”

Mifune tries to speak over the lump in his throat. “I… suppose that would be only fair. It is your own work, after all.” 

His fingers tremble even as he hears the other man chuckle softly. They haven’t trembled in ten years. Suddenly self-conscious, he puts down his cup and reaches for the knot at the back of his head, untying it without any of his hard-earned, hard-trained grace. 

Hanzo stands, rounds the table dividing them and kneels in front of him, movements careful and dark eyes curious. As the bandages drop to Mifune’s lap, a soft breath leaves Hanzo’s mask and he leans closer.

Drops of rain drum on the walls and the metal roof of the building. Mifune raises a hand to his hair like countless times before, revealing the pale pink scar, long and then thin at the ends. _I’m yours,_ it whispers at Hanzo, who still hasn’t moved from his place before him. “I…” Mifune wavers, unsure of what to say, then steels himself. “I remember every word you told me that day - you said that you are curious to see how my conviction grows--” his voice hitches suddenly as the Salamander reaches out, and he has to stop himself from flinching back when rough fingers graze his forehead - he's not entirely threatened, just painfully unaccustomed to human touch. “Here… here I am, then,” he whispers roughly, lashes fluttering against Hanzo’s palm. “I…”

“You are a remarkable man, Mifune,” murmurs Hanzo through the mask, sliding a thumb across the soft tissue of the scar, and Mifune can’t help the startled shudder that runs through his body. He draws back before he can embarrass himself further and ignores the look in the Salamander’s eyes, the fingers that reach after him before they’re brought back into the man’s lap. 

“As I have already said when we met yesterday-” Mifune pushes on, tries to keep his voice as steady and deep as possible, tries to steer the conversation into the safe waters of politics. “I have been named the general of my country. Under my leadership, the Land of Iron, although still strictly impartial, will work towards world peace, be it through diplomatic or humanitarian means.” He bows his head slightly, then raises his eyes back to Hanzo. “I have come to you first, Hanzo-dono, because I respect you immensely. It would be an honor to have you by my- by _our_ side.”

The Salamander huffs thoughtfully, eyes sharp and careful. “I do not want to speak too soon, but it seems that I was right to see what I had seen in you. But," and Mifune's stomach clenches anxiously before he notices the way Hanzo is looking at him. "I do not wish to discuss politics right now. Mifune," he breathes out through the mask. "Let me touch you again."

The sheer bluntness of the request catches Mifune completely off guard and he has to clench his teeth to keep from sputtering uncontrollably. Now, finally, he recognizes, with the startled unfamiliarity of a man unmarried and rarely indulgent, the look in Hanzo's eyes. It’s scandalous and he attempts to appear appropriately scandalized, though it probably comes off as bashful, if the hotness of his cheeks is anything to go by. When he finally speaks, he sputters anyway, a short "I..." and "o-oh no," because the Salamander is closing in and putting a hand on his shoulder, blond hair spilling to one side as he moves, and Mifune debates whether this is a dream. To his eternal shame, it wouldn't be the first one.

Still, it’s too much, too fast, Hanzo so close he can feel his body heat, smell the rain and lightning; poison and power. _What is this about_ , flashes through Mifune’s bewildered mind. Is it about trust, closeness, simple human contact? Maybe, probably. Ambition leaves others behind - true power is lonely. 

But perhaps Hanzo was, in the end, wrong about him, because one moment he's still and the next he's panicking, scrambling to get up, and with a short, embarrassed bow, and a "my sincerest apologies," he escapes the room.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, don't be shy to leave a comment or kudos! Feedback is love, and these two need as much love as they can get.  
> You can also contact me at madeline.clapton@gmail.com and gush over rare (and less rare) pairs with me! ♡


End file.
